Republicans in the US Congress are preparing to vote on a bill that would expand the powers of the so-called 'God Squad' and strip key protections from the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The vote, scheduled for Wednesday, has prompted urgent opposition from nearly 300 environmental groups, who warn that thousands of threatened and endangered species could be put at risk.
The bill, introduced by Arkansas Representative Bruce Westerman, aims to amend the 1973 ESA, which Westerman argues has failed to achieve its goals, with only 3% of listed species recovered. He says the changes would return power to private landowners and state, local and tribal governments, reducing the influence of 'litigious environmental activist groups'. However, critics contend that states lack the resources and legal mechanisms to effectively manage species conservation.
The environmental groups, in a letter shared with The Independent, argue that the bill would make many of the ESA's most important protections 'virtually meaningless' and replace science-based decision-making with politics. They also warn it would place significant administrative burdens on already overstretched agencies and lengthen the process for listing and recovering species, while precluding judicial review of key decisions.
The vote comes as the Trump administration continues to push for expanded drilling on public lands. Last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the 'God Squad' – the seven-member Cabinet-level Endangered Species Committee – attempted to remove endangered species restrictions in the Gulf of Mexico, a move that has been challenged in court. Environmentalists say this action effectively slated the critically endangered Rice's whale for extinction.
Despite Westerman's claims of ESA failure, the World Wildlife Foundation reports that the Act has prevented the extinction of more than 99% of listed species since 1973, including the California condor, bald eagle and Hawaiian monk seal. Ecologists note that recovery takes time, with studies showing that species protected for two or more years are more than twice as likely to have improving populations.
